Page 89 of Hard Limits

“Who, Priest? Trust me, no one would ever find the body.” She turned toward the rear. “How long until we leave?”

“Five minutes,” someone yelled back.

“You must be Indali.” Jerry stepped forward to study her. “Congratulations on hooking up with this jackass.”

“Thank you, I think.”

“Which leaves Ari? Zach’s a good guy, which means I have to do the ‘overprotective friend’ speech. Don’t hurt him or I’ll fuck you up, yada yada yada. Tell me there are snacks on this bird?”

Ari just stared at her. Jerry was definitely an acquired taste; Brax would be the first to admit that. They’d gotten along as roommates, liked each other well enough as friends, and slept together occasionally during the brief periods when he wasn’t dating anyone. He’d never worried about her getting attached. Jerry didn’t do relationships, and although she was technically proficient in bed, she’d always kept an emotional barrier in place. Whether that was accidental or deliberate, Brax couldn’t be sure. Once, after a little too much to drink, she’d confessed that she had sex because it was the only time she felt a human connection, however fleeting. But he also knew that deep down, no matter how much she might try to deny it, she had a heart.

Because she was here, wasn’t she?

The redhead appeared in the cabin with Chase, and up close, she looked even better. She could make a fortune in The Dark, not just because of her looks, but due to her aura. It said “Don’t fuck with me.” Give her a whip, put her in leather, and she’d make a first-class dominatrix.

He offered a hand. “Brax Vale.”

“You can call me Tulsa.”

“You’re coming with us?”

“No, I’m just here to oversee the security screening.”

Now what was Alexa playing at? “Security screening?”

“Oh, chillax, I’m joking. Echo told me about your girlfriend’s little problem.”

“Echo? Who’s Echo?”

Chase reached forward and presented Brax with a passport. “She means Alexa. This is for Indi.”

“Why is she called Echo?”

“Nobody uses real names around here.”

Brax thumbed through the passport’s pages. If this was a forgery, it was a damn good one. He reached the detail page and swallowed hard when he saw the name. Indali Vale. He stared harder, but there it was in print. For fuck’s sake, Alexa. This was her workaround? Didn’t she realise that Indi was trying to avoid marriage altogether, not be flung headlong into a fake one? And as for his own feelings… He found he didn’t hate the idea as much as he should have.

“I spent a year in Brazil when I was younger, so I’m here to help with translation where necessary,” Chase said. “If Meera’s okay, I’ll just soak up the culture. Alexa’s slammed with work, so she’ll cope on her own for a week or two as long as people bring her food.”

“And my daddy’s second wife was Portuguese, so I’m on translation duty too,” Tulsa added. “Are there any snacks around here? We skipped breakfast.”

“Snacks are in the galley,” Priest told them as he headed back to the cockpit. “It’s self-service. Jezebel, make yourself useful and close the door.”

Jezebel? Who was Jezebel?

Jerry, apparently. Brax raised an eyebrow as she walked past.

“It’s just a name. I have twenty of those.”

“Is Priest your boss?”

Tulsa answered for her. “He likes to think he is.”

Figured. Somehow, Brax couldn’t imagine either of those women taking shit from anyone.

“Brax, did you sleep with Jerry?”

Indi spoke in a whisper, but it might as well have been a shout. Since nobody else was using the bedroom, he’d led her back there to try and get some sleep, but it seemed that her mind was working overtime.

---